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Quite frankly, among many series today... too many characters fit the WUSS category. While yes, even today, there are some notable exceptions to this pattern. It just happens -- the wussies outnumber the badasses.

I don't think most characters are wusses today, maybe you are just watching the wrong series.

Or maybe the best characters really shouldn't be characterized as wussies are badasses. Both those descriptors sound like pretty boring characters to me.

You know, wussies have plenty of room for character development. It depends on the author how to use it. Badasses on the other hand, are already so awesome that really, it's difficult to develop them further without making them boring or overpowered. Mostly, it's the badasses doling out character development to their lesser allies more often.

What I am saying is the best character should be neither a wuss or a badass. It's just my opinion but I like characters that are more complex then that. I like a character that have both weaknesses and strengths.

So a character who is a boring wuss or way too cool and bad ass are both boring characters to me.

That rebound is only slight. That's all due to the still heavy demand for "moe".

Even so, this character fits my view of a "badass".

Spoiler:

That's not how you spell Chiaki.

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I'm saying that practically nobody feels that they're talented.
That's what makes us strive to improve.
As we strive to improve
we notice the people around us improving too
which makes us work even harder.
In a way, I guess you could say friends are like rivals

You know, wussies have plenty of room for character development. It depends on the author how to use it. Badasses on the other hand, are already so awesome that really,it's difficult to develop them further without making them boring or overpowered.

That's why y'turn to some themes from Greek myth, pertaining towards "perfect" characters with character flaws -- and develop a story where either they fall to those flaws or find ways to overcome them.

But of course, story-writing these days has been so LAZY, such that they stick to the template stories that people pay attention to (whether you may consider some to be stories at all).

Speaking of badasses, how come more of you guys are NOT watching JoJo's Bizarre Adventure? Is that's show's retro badassery so repelling that you instantly melt to goo when you are exposed to a single pixel of it? And the best part with the JoJo voiced by Sugita IS starting in December!

I'm saying that practically nobody feels that they're talented.
That's what makes us strive to improve.
As we strive to improve
we notice the people around us improving too
which makes us work even harder.
In a way, I guess you could say friends are like rivals

I think that what Kyuu is criticizing is how a lot of anime shows go back to the old template of "Zero to Hero in a cour or two" style of character development.

In other words, the main character really is a bit "wussy" starting out (although not necessarily much worse than your average person would be), and then the character gradually gets stronger and more "badass" over time. The problem with this approach is that first impressions die hard, and once a character is viewed as a wuss it can be very hard for him or her to ever overcome that (I think of some of the criticisms that Guilty Crown's Shu and PMMM's Madoka have faced).

The road less traveled is having a main protagonist that starts strong, but has rough edges that need to be ironed out, giving them important flaws that make them easier to relate to. Rinne no Lagrange is another anime that took this approach, and I think they were better for it.

My problem with protagonists that start strong is that they tend to be assholes, are so overpowered that no one can give him an epic challenge, or have ridiculously sob backstories. That gives me the wrong notion that you can't be badass if you're genuinely kind-hearted and that in order to become badass you need to give up your morals.

That's why my ideal hero is the White Knight archetype. He starts off at the exact middle of the power tiers, not weak but not overpowered. He's genuinely kind-hearted and only fights to protect the weak and the innocent.